1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for loading goods for transport and more particularly relates to a cargo loading system adaptable to multiple shipping requirements.
2. Background Art
The use of trucks and trailers to transport various goods “over the road” is well known to those skilled in the art. A steadily increasing volume of cargo is transported by truck trailer and must be loaded into the trailer at origin, unloaded from the trailer at freight terminals, and then sometimes reloaded on a local delivery truck and subsequently unloaded at its final destination point. Typically, a person or company will hire a transport company to pack, load, and then ship or store the desired goods. The shipping industry is a vital part of the nation's economy and provides a much-needed service for promoting effective and efficient commerce in this country.
Where possible, cargo is typically placed on pallets or skids that are carried by front-end loaders or forklifts and placed into truck trailers. While such loading is relatively fast, it possesses a notable risk factor for the operator and others who must operate the equipment in narrow, often poorly lighted trailers in close proximity to heavy objects that can easily fall or tip within the trailer. When the cargo is of a type impossible to handle with a front-end loader or one that is not easily shipped on pallets, the cargo must be loaded on the trailer by hand labor. In any event, the cargo is generally transferred from the loading dock to the trailer starting with the loading of the front end of the trailer and progressing towards the rear until the trailer has been filled to the doors at the rear cargo entrance, a distance of up to 53 feet.
While front-end loaders and forklifts are able to handle much of the work in loading trailers, workers are still commonly involved in the precise positioning of the cargo inside the trailer as it is loaded. To assist in the loading process, many trailer beds are configured with one or more roller transfer units or “roller” arrangement that allows the worker to slide the cargo or the cargo pallets around the interior of the trailer. For some applications, the rollers may also be embedded into the floor of the truck or embedded into platforms that are installed into the bed of the trailer to make loading cargo more rapid and efficient. One such roller transfer unit is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,604, which patent is incorporated herein by reference.
While the use of roller devices is widely practiced, this practice is not without risk. With the workers and the forklifts working in tandem to load the cargo, a high element of risk is present when large and heavy loads of several thousand pounds are being loaded and positioned. In some applications, the load secured on a pallet may weigh as much as 15,000 pounds. It is not uncommon for a worker to be injured by a shifting pallet or load and accidents in which a workman is pinned against cargo or sidewalls or where cargo falls on him are not unusual. Additionally, the permanent installation of roller devices or roller transfer units into the bed of a trailer may be undesirable since it may limit the use of the trailer for subsequent types of cargo in applications where the roller transfer unit configuration is not optimal.
Once the cargo has been loaded into the trailer, with the roller transfer units or other similar devices in place, it is usually desirable to secure the cargo in place in order to prevent unwanted shifting of the cargo during transport. If the cargo is not restrained, it is possible that the cargo may shift during transport, damaging the cargo, the trailer, or both. In order to restrain or eliminate the movement of the cargo during transport, it is a common practice to employ various straps, cords, ropes, and the like to securely fasten the cargo containers to the sidewalls of the trailer. Once the trailer has arrived at the appropriate destination, the straps and cords can be removed to allow the cargo to be unloaded. When cargo is to be unloaded from the truck trailer at freight terminals or at the final destination point, the unloading process can present the same dangers and difficulties as those described above for loading.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus for truck trailers and other cargo loading environments that can be easily configured and deployed in multiple and disparate sizes of trailers, while simultaneously reducing the possibility of injury to workers due to mishaps when loading and unloading the cargo.